Washington: India and Pakistan have agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire, President Donald Trump announced on Saturday, claiming that it was a result of the US-mediated talks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio termed it a US-brokered ceasefire while commending Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif on “their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace.”
The ceasefire came hours after India and Pakistan attacked each other’s military facilities, dangerously escalating the ongoing conflict.
“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE,” the US president announced in a post on Truth Social.
“Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump added.
The announcement by Trump came after Rubio spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Pakistan Army chief Gen Asim Munir.
US Vice President JD Vance expressed gratitude to the leaders of India and Pakistan for their “hard work and willingness to engage in this ceasefire.”
“Great work from the President’s team, especially Secretary Rubio. And my gratitude to the leaders of India and Pakistan for their hard work and willingness to engage in this ceasefire,” Vance said in a post on X.
In a statement, Rubio said he was “pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site”.
“Over the past 48 hours, Vice President Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik,” he said.
In New Delhi, government sources said the stoppage of firing and military action between India and Pakistan was worked out directly between the two countries.
“Pakistan DGMO initiated a call this afternoon, after which discussions took place and understanding reached,” they said.
In Islamabad, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed the ceasefire with immediate effect.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed “all efforts to de-escalate the conflict”.
“We are monitoring but we welcome all efforts to de-escalate the conflict,” Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, told PTI in New York.
“Today’s ceasefire between India and Pakistan is hugely welcome. I urge both parties to sustain this. De-escalation is in everybody’s interest,” said UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
The announcement followed a night of intense military activity in the region, with Lammy expressing “serious concern” and calling on India and Pakistan to move towards a “dialogue that leads to a swift and sustainable ceasefire”.
Earlier, in a joint statement with fellow G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States and the High Representative of the European Union, the UK had strongly condemned the “egregious terrorist attack” in Pahalgam on April 22 and urged maximum restraint from both India and Pakistan.
“Further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability. We are deeply concerned for the safety of civilians on both sides. We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome. We continue to monitor events closely and express our support for a swift and lasting diplomatic resolution,” read the statement, issued hours before the ceasefire announcement.
Soon after the announcement of the ceasefire, Pakistan said it was opening its airspace for all kinds of traffic.
“All airports in the country are available for normal flight operations. Passengers are requested to contact the relevant airline for the latest schedule of their flights,” the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said.
Pakistan’s airspace remained closed for a certain duration and routes due to the tension with India, which hampered regular air traffic, resulting in inconvenience for passengers.
Tensions between the two neighbours soared significantly after the Indian armed forces on Wednesday conducted “precision strikes targeting terror launchpads” in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that had cross-border linkages.
Pakistan launched a wave of drone attacks targeting 26 locations in India — from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat — for the second night on Friday, with the defence ministry saying the enemy’s attempts to hit vital installations, including airports and air bases, were successfully thwarted.
On Thursday evening, Indian air defence units intercepted at least eight missiles fired by Pakistan towards the border areas of Jammu, including the strategically important Jammu airport. (Combines several PTI stories)
